FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP — With shovels, dirt and flowers in hand, dozens of Scouts and their families worked together recently to bring a touch of spring to the entrance of the West Freehold School.
Cub Scout Pack 155 and Boy Scout Troop 155 in Freehold joined forces to create a new flower garden to welcome visitors to the school. The Scouts planted a variety of annual and perennial blooms to bring bursts of color to the formerly barren space.
The Scouts also planted flowers around several shade trees, spruced up the reading garden with freshly potted flowers, hung handmade birdhouses, decorated the area with stepping stones, and cleaned-up the school grounds.
The Scouts designed the spring planting project as a way to “give back” to the West Freehold School and to the PTO which has served as the chartering organization for the pack and troop for more than 50 years.
“Scouts have always helped the school with cleanup projects, ceremonies and events, but since 2010 marks the 100th anniversary of Scouting we wanted to do something more visible to benefit the school community,” said spring planting organizer Stacey Ehling, committee chair of Cub Scout Pack 155.
“We worked closely with the principal to determine what the school needed, and the idea for the welcoming flower garden was born,” Ehling said.
“As principal of the West Freehold School, I am so proud of the work that our Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts have done to make our school look beautiful,” said Principal Edward Aldarelli. “You could tell that they all took a great deal of pride in creating such a wonderful display for the entranceway of our school. This project is a perfect example of how our youngsters are becoming active members of our community.”
The planting was paid for by the Scouts with the help of a donation from Linwyck Gardens in Freehold, design services from Thomas Ritchie Landscaping in Freehold, and several flats of flowers from the West Freehold PTO.
For more information about Cub Scout Pack 155 visit www.cubscoutpack155.net, and for Boy Scout Troop 155 visit http://freeholdtroop155.com.